Katholische Laien im nationalsozialistischen Bayern: Verweigerung und Widerstand zwischen 1933 und 1945 by Bernhard Höpfl (review)

474book reviews problems in Europe and elsewhere, were issues a Christian should attend to: the Holy Spirit spoke through them, and called on Christian justice and charity to respond" (p. 337). Dr. Pereiro has written an important book that has made a significant contribution to the history of the development of ideas and to the greater understanding of nineteenth-century Catholicism. V Alan McClelland University ofHull Katholische Laien im nationalsozialistischen Bayern: Verweigerung und Widerstand zwischen 1933 und 1945. By Bernhard Höpfl. [Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Zeitgeschichte, Reihe B: Forschungen, Band 78.] (Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh. 1997. Pp. 359. DM 48,-.) With this study of resistance against the Third Reich, Dr. Bernhard Höpfl has considerably expanded our knowledge of opposition to the Nazis among the Bavarian Catholic laity. Höpfl's thoroughly researched study under the direction of Professor Dr. Winfried Becker at Passau University has merited publication by the prestigious Kommission für Zeitgeschichte. This prosopographical study of some four hundred mini-biographies chronicles the resistance and persecution of three groups of Catholic lay leaders whose convictions and values were shaped by Catholic doctrines and traditions . The groups include members and supporters of the Bavarian People's Party from a wide range of occupations that encompass farmers and members of Catholic trade associations, merchants, entrepreneurs, government officials, and the Harnier Group; secondly, editors, publishers, journalists, and thirdly, educators . The persecution of priests and clerics was generally not included by Höpfl, although their roles are discussed when a priest and lay person happened to be involved in the same cause. Central to the conceptual framework and conclusions of the book is the author 's broad definition of resistance, which places him in that school of historiography that includes Martin Brozat, Konrad Repgen, and Winfried Becker, aU of whom disagree with the narrow definitions of such scholars as Ian Kershaw, Thomas Breuer, Gerhard Paul, and K.-M. Mallmann. Höpfl defines resistance as "every form of active or passive behavior that indicates rejection of the NSRegime or a part of NS-IdeoIogy and which implied some risks" (p. 19). Accordingly , the cases describe a broad range of behavior including not only acts or plans of overt resistance, but also nonconformism such as the refusal to participate in Nazi rituals and customs, limited disobedience, self-preservation, opposition to officials or Nazi Party members, expressions of solidarity with those persecuted or discriminated against by the Regime, and demonstrative adherence to religious customs and symbols. This inclusive framework made it book reviews475 possible to portray the Catholic resistance in Bavaria as a quasi-popular phenomenon based on church teachings representing a definite social milieu rooted in a federalist culture expressed in religious faith and ritual. One of the justifications for the validity of this controversial definition was found in the Heimtückegesetz of 1934, by which the Nazis threatened to imprison anyone whose activities undermined the people's trust in Nazi leadership. One has to conclude that Höpfl found only limited evidence to support his assertion that Nazi racial theories were rejected by many Bavarian Catholics and that teachers ignored the racial elements of the curriculum and concerned themselves with Jewish students outside the schools. Some evidence is found that sanctions against Jews were not implemented, that contacts between Catholics andJews were not broken off, and that Catholics did help persecuted Jews to circumvent the boycott. A few examples were found, though not statistically significant, of protest against the persecution of Communists and beggars. One of the conclusions of this study is that the evidence contradicts the theory that Roman Catholics loyaUy supported the Third Reich except in its policies toward the Church. The Catholic laity were found to resist the Regime over many other issues, yet out of religious conviction and loyalty to their religious formation. Catholics resisted the demands of the racial Volksgemeinschaft and openly expressed their anti-Nazi attitudes. Nevertheless, it cannot be determined how representative of all Catholic Bavarians the case studies are. The author admits to the limitations of his study, because he did not consult all the archives and because of incomplete or inaccessible records. On the other hand, it is entirely possible...